Improvement in circuit-closers for railroad-signals



D. ROUSSEAU. Circuit Closers for Railroad-Signals.

No. 166,558. Patented Aug.I0,I875.--

T s1 r war DAVID BOUSSEAU, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY MESNEASSIGN- MENTS, TO WILLIAM F. SMITH AND SAMUEL SAMUELS, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN CIRCUIT-CL OSERS FOR RAILROAD-SIGNALS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 166,558, dated August10, 1875; application filed July 21, 1875.

GAsE B.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, DAVID ROUSSEAU, ofNewYork city, in the county and State of New York, have invented a newand Improved (Jircuit-(Jloser for Railroad-Signals, of which thefollowing is a specification:

This invention has for its object to improve the circuit-closer which isdescribed in Letters Patent No. 140,953, granted to me July 15, 1873,and to prevent, more particularly, the contact of the conductor with theupper plate of the circuit-closer after the train has left thesuperposed rail.

My present invention consists, chiefly, in attaching to the upper plateof the circuitcloserapendent tube, which carries at its lower end anannular plate, and above said annular plate another, both arranged toembrace a rod that projects upwardly through them. Between these annularplates a circuit-closing sleeve is fitted upon the said rod, in such amanner that the least upward or downward motion of the rail and topplate will cause the sleeve to break or close metallic contact with theupper annular plate.

One somewhat objectionable feature of my former circuit-closer was, thatif the rubber cushion should fail to throw the top plate of the closerup to a sufficient height after a train had left the rail, the metalcontact between the conductor and such top plate and rail would not bebroken, and the current, therefore, rendered continuous when it wasdesired to have the same interrupted. This objection I have now entirelyovercome.

Another feature of my present invention is, the production of means forobtaining a water proof joint where the cable or underground wire entersthe instrument. My invention also has other features of improvement,which will hereinafter be more fully specified.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a vertical centralsection of my improved circuit-closer. Fig. 2 is a similar section,showing the circuit closed.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in bothfigures.

A represents a portion of a railroad rail. Beneath the same, and incontact therewith, is a metal plate, B, resting on a rubber or otherinsulating cushion or support, 0, which, in turn, rests upon abed-plate, D. The cushion .(l is, by preference, made hollow to receivethe end of a telegraph wire or cable, F, which enters into the hollow ofthe cushion as shown. The rubber cushion U is flanged at the upper andlower ends, the upper flange a entering within a pendent flange, b, ofthe top plate B,

whereit is confined in position by a screw-ring, E, a washer-ring, at,being interposed between such screw-ring and the flange a of thecushion. The lower flange e of the cushion is confined in a similar wayby a screw-ring, G, in an upwardly-projecting flange, f, of the lowerplate or bed-plate, D, a washer-ring, 9, being interposed between theflange e and the ring G. This mode of fastening the cushion I deempreferable to that shown in the former patent, because it provides moreintimate connection of the parts. From the middle of the top plate Bissuspended into the hollow of the cushion O a metal tube, H, whichcarries within it, at a certain distance above its lower end, an annularfixed plate, h, that is in metallic connection with the body of thetube. The lower end of the tube receives a screw-ring, z, of rubber orother non-conducting material. I is a rod, which rests with its lowerend on a nonconducting disk, j, which is placed upon the bed-plate D.The rod I extends through the ring 6, and also through the ring h, theinner circumference of the latter-named ring being provided withanon-conducting lining, so as to prevent metallic contact between it andI. lis

a sleeve,which embraces the rod I between the rings h i, and which is,by preference, made of two semi-annular pieces of metal, that arecrowded against the sides of the rod I by a surrounding rubber ring, asindicated in the drawing. The upper surface of the sleeve is metallic,and has, preferably, projecting metal pins, as indicated. The lower partof the rod I is in metallic contact with the wire F,

As thus far described, the operation of the circuitcloser is as follows:The distance between the rings h i is so regulated that a very smallspace will intervene for the play of the sleeve Z between them,practically not more than one-sixteenth of an inch. When the parts arein the position indicated in Fig. 1- that is, when the cushion G isfully expanded, and the rail A is not weighted down-the metal pins orsurface of the sleeve I will be a short distance away from the metalring h, and metallic contact between the conductor F and rail A willtherefore be interrupted; but as soon as a train passes over the rail,weighting the same down, the top plate B is depressed, and with it thecushion, and by the motion of the top plate the metal ring h is carrieddown into contact with the metallic parts of the sleeve 1. A current isthus established. Now, if the downward motion of the bed-plate should,under the pressure of a heavy train, be very large, it will cause thesleeve 1 to move down with it along and on the rod 1; and while thesleeve is thus forced down by the ring h, a space of about one-sixteenthof an inch will intervene between the lower part of the said sleeve andthe upper face of the ring *5, all as in Fig. 2. After the train haspassed over the rail, and the same is no longer weighted, the cushion Gwill expand, and if the expanding motion be ever so small it willsuffice to carry the ring it away from the sleeve Z, and thus to breakthe circuit. If the expanding motion of the cushion G be sufficient toraise the rail to its original normal position, the sleeve will, bycontact with the lower ring 0", be raised in proportionate degree; yetits upper surface will never be more than about one-sixteenth of an inchfrom the lower surface of the metal ring h, and consequently it willafterward only require a short downward motion of the rail, undercomparatively light pressure, to re-establish metal connection.

The conductor F is shown to be made in two pieces, one piece pertainingto the instrument proper, and marked F, and the other piece leading tothe instrument from under ground, and marked F The inner piece F iscoiled around the rod I, and is clamped to a disk, m, that embraces saidrod by a nut, n, as shown, the upper surface of the disk m being also incontact with an inner shoulder, 0, formed in the cushion O. The outerend of the conductor F being the end that is to connect with theconductor F, has fastened to it a plate, 1), against which a plate, q,formed on the inner end of the wire or conductor F is pressed. A rubbercushion, r, surrounds the wire F directly behind the plate q. and entersa socket of the bed-plate D. A hollow screw, 8, is screwed into thissocket against the cushion r, causing the same to press the plate qfirmly against 12, and also, at the same time, to expand against thewalls of the socket, and to produce a water-tight joint,

by which the entrance of moisture into the instrument will be entirelyprevented.

The entrance of moisture will, of course, also be prevented by thescrew-rings E and G, which are applied directly to the cushion ends.

The instrument can be used as a circuitbreaker by making the lower faceof the sleeve 1 and the upper face of the ring 5 metallip.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination of the tube H, formed on thecircuit-closer, with the inner rings or plates h 5, and with the slidingsleeve or plate I, substantially as described.

2. The rod I, placed within the cushion G, and through the rings i h,and combined with the sleeve 1 and plate B, substantially as and for thepurpose specified.

3. The cushion G, flanged on top and bottom, and combined with theplates B and D, and screw-rings E and G, substantially as set forth.

4. The conductor F carrying the plate q, combined with the conductor F,carrying the plate 19, and with the cushion 1" and screw 8,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

5. The combination of the upper and lower movable plate h i with theintermediate plate or sleeve 1, which is capable of motion, all arrangedto constitute a circuit-closer, substantially as specified.

The foregoing description of my invention signed by me this 15th day ofJuly, 1875.

DAVID ROUSSEAU. Witnesses:

A. V. BRIESEN, E. O. WEBB.

